Truss



J. GUTSCH Sept. 18, 1951 TRUSS Filed Aug. 16, 1948 INVE TOR. John fiu fic/z,

D o o o o 00 I. OOBDOODOOODDODOO l I Patented Sept. 18,1951

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRUSS John Gutsch, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 16, 1948, Serial No. 44,451

Claims. (Cl. 128108) The present invention relates to rupture or hernia trusses, and has for its main object the provision of a pad made in the form of a metallic shell, perforated at its body-contacting surface permitting respiration of the skin and the drainage of the perspiration.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a truss pad of the character indicated, made in a formof a metallic shell, composed of a pair of complementary sections, which may easily be formed by and upon a suitable stamping machine, and which sections may readily be joined together by welding or other suitable means.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of means associated with the pad and co-acting with the truss supporting bar, whereby the pad may be angularly adjusted with relation to the truss supporting bar, so as to properly adjust the pad to the area of the wearers body with which the pad is to contact.

Another object of the present invention is to generally improve a truss .pad of the character above indicated.

With the above general objects in view and others that will appear as the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing forming a part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig.1 is a side elevational view of the truss with a pair of pads, viewing the truss'from the side away from the wearers body;

' contactual relation with the wearers body. The

Fig. 2 is the side elevational view of a pair of shells prior to their joining for efiecting the pad; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, with a single pad supported upon the end of a truss supporting bar;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the pad, taken on line 4-4 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the present drawing there is shown in Fig. 1 a truss supporting bar l0, for supporting thereon a pair of pads, generally indicatedby H. In Fig. 3 there is shown a similar supporting bar l2 for supporting a single pad Both of said bars are made of oblong, comparatively thin and narrow strips of resilient metallic material, so formed as to bear against the'pads'in order to maintain them ina proper ends of said bar ID or I2 are connected by a clasp or other device |3 to a belt M which encompasses the body of the wearer.

Each of said bars Ill and I2 defines a substantially horizontal portion l5, and an upwardly turned portion Hi, the two effecting a corner adjacent which the pad II is supported upon said horizontal portion l5 of bar l0 or I2.

Centrally of bar ID at the horizontal portion l5 thereof is an oblong slot |8, adjacent corner Coextensively with said corner IT, in bar l0 slot I9 is made, said latter slot |9extends into the lower end of the upwardly turned portion l6 of bar H). In bar l2 one slot 20 is made therein, which extends into the horizontal and the upwardly turned portions thereof.

Referring now to the construction of pad II, the same is substantially oval or pear-shaped. and is composed of a pair of complementary sections, one a body-contacting section 2|, and the other the outer section 22. The former is provided upon its contacting face with a plurality of apertures 23, which permit the respiration of the skin, with which the section contacts, and drainage therethrough of the perspiration. The outer face of said section 2| is highly polished and is convex.

The outer section 22 is provided with a central oblong opening 24, through which access may be had into the inside of the shell defined by said sections 2| and 22. Made upon the outer face of the said outer section 22 is a pair of longitudinal slots 25, each disposed between the margin defined by said opening 24 and the adjacent edge of the pad. These slots 25 are positioned adjacent the upper or wider end of the pad.

Two sections 2| and 22 along their edges are connected by welding, as at 26, or by any other suitable means. Thereby said sections 2| and 22 will define a hollow shell.

When the pad H is brought into an operative relation with bar l0 orl2, with the outer face of section 22 in contact therewith, and substantially in a transverse relation with one or the 'other'of said bars, slots l8, l9 and 20 will be in a substantially transverse relation with slots 25 in said section 22. Through the crossing points of the two sets of slots screws 21 are extended, with the heads thereof engaging the outer faces of said bars [0 and l2, as the case may be. The

inner threaded ends of said screws 21 extend into the shell defined by sections 2| and 22, and are there engaged by nuts 28. Persons finger extended through the opening 24 holds nut 28 against rotation, while a screw-driver applied to the screw head turns screw 21 for tightening the said screw and nut 28, and thereby clamping the pad II and the bar I or I2 together, for maintaining pad II in a rigid adjusted relation with the bar.

As is obvious slots l8, l9 and 20 permit the pad H to be longitudinally adjusted with relation to the bars I0 and I2, respectively, while slots 25 permit the pad I I to be adjusted in a transverse relation with said bars. The respective slots also permit the angular adjustment. If for instance one screw 2! in one pad II is tightened, with the other screw loose, the latter screw will permit the 1 angular shifting of the pad, the first screw acting as a pivot. Upon a proper angular adjustment of the pad the second screw is of course also tightened in order to maintain the pad 1 I in a rigid adjusted relation with the bar I Ber 12. When one of said screws 2! enters the upper termination of slot 19 or :20, which. is extended into the upwardlyturned portion I G .of bar H1 or l2, as the case may be, then it is possibleto adjust the pad ll almost in a horizontal relative position with respect to the one or the other of the said bars.

It is noted that the shape of a pear fits the pad for inguinal canal, and permits the wearer to assume a sitting position without'forcing the pad out of place with the area of rupture. The pad being made as a hollow casing is of course comparatively light andeasy to wear. The convex shape of the body-contacting wall of section 2| exerts sufiicient pressure upon the ruptured area, but does not cause further rupture as often occurs with pads having sharp or deep bulges.

It is further observed that each of the said sections 2| and 22 may be moulded by the same die. When so moulded the walls that are oppositely disposed in the final formation of the pad would each become convex. This would not constitute a serious objection, because before the sections are joined along line'26, the wall in section 22 may be either hammered down or otherwise flattened out to bring it to a straight even plane, as seen in Fig.4.

From the hereinabove description it'will be readily seen that the pad herein described is sanitary in a 'high degree. Since the same is made in the'form of a hollow casing which is impervious to water, it may be periodically cleaned by'washing. The pad beingbuilt out of a pair of complementaryse'ctions joined together, lends itself to easy manufacture, without requiring costly machinery or great many operations.

While there are described herein preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .as claimed i What I claim as new is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a truss pad comprising a hollow casing made of a rigid sheet of material and composed of a pair of complementary sections joined at their edges, said sections defining a pair of oppositely disposed, substantially parallel walls, the. exterior of the wall in one of said sections constituting a body-contactin surface, the opposite wall in the other of said sections being provided with an opening affording access into said casing, said opening being of appreciable width sufilcient to admit a finger therethrough and extending through out the major portion of the height of the casing, and said latter wall bein 'further provided with a pair of parallel slots on opposite sides of said larly with respect to the other of the slots in the pad, and fastenings extending respectively through said slotted portions and slots and adjustablewith respect to each for adjustably I securing the pad to the bar.

31A truss comprising a pad including a wall having apair of vertical laterally spaced slots therein, a supporting bar for the pad having a portion slottedhor'izontally to coact with one of theslots in the pad and having another portion of the bar slotted angularly with respect to .the other of the slots in the pad, and fastenings extending respectively throughcsaid slotted portions and slots and adjustable With respect to each for adjustably securing the padto the bar.

4. A truss comprising a pad including a wall having .a pair of vertical laterally spaced slots therein, a supporting bar for the pad having a portion slotted horizontally to coact with one of the slots in the pad and having another portion of the bar slotted angularly with respect to-the other of the slots in the pad, and fastenings extending respectively through said slotted portions and slots and adjustable with respect to each for adjustably securing the pad to the bar, the slotted portions of the bar having longitudinally spaced slots, one of which is substantially straight lengthwise of the bar and the other of which is substantially in the 'form of an obtuse angle.

5. A truss comprising a pad including a wall having a pair of vertical laterally spaced slots therein, a supporting bar for the pad having a portion slotted horizontally to coact with one of the. slots in the pad and having another portion of the bar slotted angularly with-respect to the other of .the slots .in the pad, and fastenings extending respectively through said slotted portions and slots and adjustable with respect to each for adjusta'bly securing the pad to the bar, the slotted portions of the bar having a single slot overlapping the pair of slots in the pad wall and with the portion of said single slot overlap- :ping one of said pair of .slots substantially straight lengthwise of the bar, and with the portion of said single slot overlapping .the other of said pair of slots angular-1y .ofiset from said straight portion at an obtuse angle.

JOHN GUTSCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

